My princess
by RBK Frost-Escarcha
Summary: Adrien is completely in love with Ladybug, but one day he ends up talking again with Marinette as Chat Noir, he finds she is way more open to him when he is Chat, sassy even, as Adrien it is difficult to get to know her but he wants to, his meetings with her as Chat Noir grow more frequent and his reasons to know her better slowly start to change "Missed me princess?"
1. Chapter 1

_Hello miraculers, I have decided to write this fanfic, hopefully my updates will be frequent_

 _I have had this idea for a bit_

 _I do not own ladybug, Hawkdaddy [AKA Thomas Astruc] does_

 _I do not own the image I used for the cover, the art is made by the wonderful peachbunni on tumblr_

* * *

Adrien was not paying attention in class, neither was anyone else in the classroom to be honest, he had actually been playing hangman with Nino, writing the letters and circling them so they didn't have to speak, biology wasn't their favorite subject.

He had drawn seven spaces for letters, Nino was currently trying to find out what the word could be, soon enough he smiled writing in the spaces what he was sure was the answer "Ladybug", Nino smirked at his friend, he knew how Adrien had a "celebrity crush" in the heroine, or at least that was what he thought, he didn't know what Adrien felt was much more than a celebrity crush.

While Nino made 9 new spaces for a new hangman Adrien started thinking about his lady, her hair so black that it seemed blue (If that made sense), her blue shining eyes, he had never seen eyes so bright, her cunning ways and wit, her confidence, the way she teased him, she was just so beautiful, this thoughts earned a small sigh of him, loud enough though for Nino to hear him who raised an eyebrow at him, Adrien dismissed it with a wave of his hand and Nino shrugged turning the paper to Adrien for him to decipher the new word.

When the bell finally rang people rushed to take their things and head for the door, Nino told him he had promised Alya to share a bit of information he had found about the last akuma battle of ladybug and Chat Noir so he left with her, Adrien waved goodbye at them and left the classroom after everyone else

He was walking near the front gate when he glimpsed a blur of the bluenette that sat behind him in class, Marinette had her sketchbook and her pencil darted around the page with quick but calculated movements, her eyes concentrating on the page, sometimes stopping her hand to think and quickly regaining movement, a smile softening her features at times, this made Adrien gaze, he was impressed, he had always been impressed when he found her doing anything related to her passions, she seemed so confident at those moments unlike when he talked to her, it was a side of her that was so rare for him to see but that he enjoyed so much when he did, he couldn't help smiling at the girl that was currently distracted in her own world.

He thought about sitting with her, maybe he could see what she was sketching, she was pretty good at designing and that time he had seen her sketchbook before made him know for sure she was going to win that contest with the bowler hat, he started walking to her, he was hoping he didn't make her feel uncomfortable, Marinette was really shy after all, when he had reached the bench she was so absorted in what she was doing she hadn't acknowledged his presence, he decided to take this to his advantage for a moment, a smile growing on his face at how absorbed she was to not even notice he was now sitting right next to her.

He looked at her sketch pad, he stared at the page and her moving hand in admiration, she was sketching a black coat, buttons in pairs of two by the right side and a belt to adjust it, it was long and was followed by a series of skirts, he assumed she was trying to see what kind of skirt would fit better, she seemed to settle for one that went barely above the knees, she then wrote the word "red" by the side of it two arrows coming out from the circled word and pointing now to both the skirt and the buttons of the coat, she continued with different details and he was lost in thought, Marinette was really creative, described like this the design seemed simple but it wasn't, Adrien was also proud of saying he had an eye for this things, being a model and Gabriel Agreste's son, what Marinette did felt so natural it could be magic.

"It's amazing" he couldn't hold the thought coming out from his mouth, breaking Marinette's train of thought as she jumped surprised

"A-Adrien?" She turned to look at him, eyes open wide and cheeks the brightest of reds "H-how long h-had you b-been here?" She stuttered, he bit the inside of his cheek, he should have stayed quiet for at least a little longer, but at least now he could tell her how good he thought she was

"Well" He rubbed the back of his head smiling "I actually have been here for a bit, sorry, you were so concentrated in what you were doing I didn't want to disrupt you"

She blushed even more and hurriedly started "Sorry! I-I didn't notice! Not that I don't pay attention to you, I n-no I mean!, um, I'm sorry I didn't notice u-uh"

Adrien smiled waving his hand dismissively, the change on the girl was impressive, it also made him a bit sad though, he didn't see her so nervous around Alya or Nino, now that he thought about it he didn't see her this nervous when she was talking to other people, this made him frown internally, did he make her that uncomfortable? Did he intimidate her? No, that didn't seem right, he had seen her interact with people that could easily be more intimidating than him, but then why? He started thinking, everyone else seemed to know a Marinette he hadn't met

"No, it's alright, I saw you drawing and was wondering what you could be designing, I must say it looks awesome! I really like it, you are really creative Marinette, I never know what to expect" He smiled at her and saw her eyes widen a bit, she seemed happy by the compliment and he gave himself a mental pat on his back

"W-well, t-thank you, i-it makes me glad you think so!" Before he could say anything else the bell rang

"We should go to class now" He stood up and waited for her to take her things, when she did, she looked at him strangely and he motioned for her to walk with him, her eyes widened a bit before she fell into a walk with him to the classroom, he smiled as they walked, he hoped he could get to know Marinette better, she was such a nice person


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello Miraculers!_

I am really glad you seemed to enjoy this fanfic so much! I kept receiving notifications and it made me want to write the next chapter as soon as possible, thanks for everyone who followed, Favorited and reviewed

I don't own Miraculous: Tales of ladybug and chat noir, Hawkdaddy does

* * *

He was patrolling, alone, he pouted as he remembered how ladybug told him she needed to run some errands and asked him to patrol by himself, he grew bored, not that flying from rooftop to rooftop was not exciting, but at the moment he felt he could use the company.

He suddenly stopped on his tracks, noticing someone he knew walking down the street, Marinette was carrying a few bags just below him, there was not many people around but he didn't think it was too safe for her to be walking around so late at night, he smirked, this was a good excuse for him to help her, maybe he could get to see that other side of Marinette he usually didn't, he went down and spoke from behind her

"What is the princess doing so late at night?" She jumped a bit and turned to look at him, not looking all that surprised that a superhero was striking a conversation with her

"Oh you know, not jumping through rooftops to end up speaking with commoners" She said with an eyebrow raised and a faint smirk that he was surprised came from her

"Oh I couldn't help myself watching a beautiful dame walking alone through Paris at such a late hour, I got worried princess" He made a reverence and gave her a wink "But do not worry I am here to escort you home, I'll be once again your personal knight"

She seemed to groan there for a second before she smiled again giggling a little "Shouldn't you be looking for danger around the city? You do not have to worry about little old me" This surprised him, she now seemed so confident about herself he worried, it _is_ dangerous to be out so late

He pouted "But the danger could be following you for all I know, I've been running around the city this whole time and haven't seen something as dangerous as my princess walking alone so late" He saw her hesitate a bit but she seemed to understand, he neared her and took a pair of bags from her hands winking again "Off we go, lead the way and your knight will follow"

Marinette gave up and shook her head with a smile as she started walking "Why, thank you, but shouldn't ladybug be with you?" She asked with innocence, or at least that was what Adrien thought, Marinette knew perfectly where Ladybug was

He smiled at her "Ladybug was a bit busy today and left me to cope all by myself" He said with mock hurt making her chuckle a bit, his smile grew hearing her laugh, he was enjoying seeing more of this Marinette "At least my princess won't let me alone?" He pouted

She shook her head with a soft smile, rolling her eyes at his antics "The wonderful Chat Noir is helping me go home! I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight!" She said with exaggerated movements as he raised an eyebrow with a smirk, she was teasing him! _Marinnete_ was teasing _him_ , that is something you don't see frequently and he was enjoying every second of it

As they walked they made conversation, Marinette told him she liked designing and he faked surprise _'you like fashion designing? really?'_ he learned her favorite colors were hot pink and red, she told him her parents had a bakery to which he again faked surprise and she told him she liked baking as well, but of course, her passion was fashion, Marinette was so happy and cheerful! He was really glad she could talk so easily to him right now, he might have been missing on a really good friend all this time, he even told her a bit about him, trying to not risk his secret identity, they spent the walk joking and teasing each other, he was surprised that they could talk like this, it seemed as if they had been friends for a while, when they got to her home he had to say goodbye, he reached for her hand and placed a kiss on the back

"Have a goodnight princess, let's meet again Ok?" He winked and she chuckled

"Just don't fall from any rooftops" She said waving goodbye at him and walking inside her home

Once he got back to his own home he turned back to Adrien and Plagg came out

"That girl sure has many surprises" Plagg said excitedly taking a piece of Camembert Adrien had gotten for him, Adrien smiled

"Marinette is really nice, the problem is that she can't seem to open up to me as she did today when I am Adrien" He frowned, Plagg looked at him from his cheese thoughtful

"Maybe you could get to know her better as Chat noir, you could start hanging out with her that way and maybe if you get to know her better like that you will be able to make her more comfortable in a conversation as Adrien" Plagg said now returning to his cheese, Adrien stared at him in surprise, Plagg noticed and looked confused "What?"

Adrien smiled "Plagg you are a genius!"

"Of course I am!" He said still confused at Adrien's response, but he wasn't complaining

Marinette was really open when it came to talking with Chat noir, he was going to use his superhero persona to befriend her, he didn't want to miss on her friendship, maybe he could visit her tomorrow after school! If she was not busy maybe she'd agree to hang out? He hoped she did, that night Adrien went to sleep with his biggest worry being if Marinette would have time to hang out tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

_It seems my fanfic became much more popular than I would've thought, someone in tumblr even made a recommendation post_

 _It makes me really glad you are all liking this fanfic, this fandom is really nice and I hope it stays that way!_

 _Shout-out to the people who have also reviewed: a person d, Risu-chan xD, Rose. , John Smith, peste21, aleja-acerca, animegirl2098 and the tree guests (Two appearing as: Haphazard203 and El Tofu-san)_

 _Your comments made me really glad and I am happy you are so excited for this story to continue_

* * *

The next morning at recess Nino and Adrien were thinking about where they could go when he saw Alya and Marinette who seemed to be about to get lunch out, he motioned to where they were and Nino smiled following

"Hey! Alya, Marinette" He called out to them and saw Marinette jump up a bit before they turned to Nino and him "Hey, are you going to eat out?"

"Oh yes, there is this cafe we have wanted to go to for a while, it is very close" Alya smiled and looked at Marinette motioning to something he couldn't quite catch, Marinette soon enough seemed even more nervous and covered a bit of her face with her scarf, it was getting colder, he had also brought his blue scarf, the one his father gave him for his birthday, he used it whenever he could "Do you guys want to come with us?" Alya asked

Adrien turned to Nino and they both smiled at the offer "Sure that would be cool, where is it?" Nino asked

"Just a few streets to the east from here, come on let's go!" She quickly took Nino by the arm with the excuse of showing him the way, she turned to Marinette for a second and gave her a thumbs up, Marinette blushed

Adrien the same as the day before waited for Marinette to walk besides him, their friends were walking a little too fast, the thing is he didn't really know how to start up a conversation and it didn't seem like Marinette would be able to do that soon either, yesterday it had been so easy to talk with her but today he was having a bit of trouble

"Have you been to this cafe before?" He asked her and she turned her head to him quickly, eyes wide, he chuckled a bit internally

"O-oh me? No, I-I haven't, b-but! Alya has! She told me it is r-really good!" She spoke quickly and fell silent as quick

"Do you like coffee? I have become a bit of an addict myself, you know, to wake up in the mornings since sometimes the photo shoots end pretty late at night" _Or mostly patrolling_ He thought, but he couldn't say that, Marinette didn't seem less nervous but she wasn't stuttering as much now

"I do, b-but I can only drink black coffee with something sweet, l-like cookies" She smiled a bit, the red tint on her cheeks not leaving her face, she looked adorable

Adrien stopped himself, well yes it wasn't that weird a thought, Marinette _is_ adorable sometimes, what with how shy she is, Adrien nodded at her as if approving her comment "I like sweets with coffee too, but since I mostly drink it in the morning I am always in too much of a hurry to enjoy it like that"

Marinette nodded too fast and too much before answering "Ah y-yes! Well I usually have sweets when I drink it later in the day, though I normally prefer tea, In the mornings black tea wakes me up better than coffee, s-since it has more caffeine too..."

Adrien laughed "Is that your secret? For being so cheerful?"

Her eyes widened more and the blush only kept growing, she was about to answer when they saw Alya and Nino wave at them, they had already reached the cafe, they rushed to them and went inside the cafe, it was a small comfy place, Adrien could feel the warmth not only from the thermostat, it was the feeling he got from the place, the place had the feeling he got from a fantasy book

"This place used to be a library" Said Alya as they sat, Nino sat by her right so Marinette and him sat by each other "that's why there are also many books in the racks at the back, the people here are also really nice!"

Adrien looked around amused, the place was indeed really nice, he noticed he forgot to see the name of the place before entering, they removed their jackets and started talking, Marinette seemed more relaxed now that the conversation included more people, he was glad he could talk to both girls like this even if Marinette still was a stuttering mess, he found he didn't really mind at all, even if this Marinette wasn't the confident one that he had met yesterday she was just as bubbly and nice.

After they had finished they started walking back to school the same as they did in their way there, Adrien had managed to engage on a conversation with her about ' _No Plagg, not cheese, stay quiet'_ her designs

"Your designs all look so professional" He said now holding her sketch pad as she fidgeted nervously

"I am glad you think so I like to pay attention to d-details, your father is also quite i-inspiring!" She smiled softly and he reciprocated

"He was pretty impressed with your hat during that contest, I am sure he would be pretty impressed with your other designs as well"

She smiled as they kept walking, once they had reached their classroom Alya had started talking with her and he got to hear a bit from his seat

"I am going to be taking care of my sisters today, are you going to do something Marinette?" Alya asked

"No, I am probably just going to stay home" That answer was all Adrien needed, today Chat Noir was going to pay Marinette Dupain-Cheng a little visit

Chat Noir found himself knocking at the unsuspecting girl's window, when she opened the curtains she looked at him eyes wide quickly opening it for him to come in

"Chat Noir?" She asked "What are you doing here?"

"Oh I was passing by, I thought I would see how you were doing princess" He smiled "Has it been a good day?"

She rolled her eyes at him "It has actually, but I would think a superhero like you would be too busy with other things to come and just randomly pay me a visit?"

He grinned "I am sure you are pretty happy, Chat Noir has just decided to bless you with his presence, but I could all the same bask in yours" He took her hand and placed a kiss on it's back and she looked at him incredulously

"Are you always this flirty or am I special?" She raised an eyebrow chuckling "Maybe you could relax a bit"

"Relax?" He was a bit confused "I am relaxed princess"

She gestured for him to take a sit and she sat in front of him "I know you have a high ego but you can talk to me more casually right? Try, it feels good" She smiled

He was surprised, he felt a lot more free like Chat Noir but maybe the sudden change from interacting with Marinette like this made him act a bit different too, he had been bragging a lot yesterday, somehow, she was glad she pointed it out, he relaxed in his seat "Ok then princess, so tell me, what have you been up to?"

She thought for a moment and smirked mischievously "Well, right now I wasn't doing much but now that you're here maybe I could use you as my model?"

He followed her with his eyes "Model?" His ears perked up and she stood up and took a piece of cloth turning back to him

"I hope you are not scared of needles kitty"

They spent a while talking and joking while Marinette used him to finish a coat, she pinched him more than once and he was sure some of those were not accidental, after a while she brought a few snacks from the bakery and tea for them both as they talked, he had now opened up more and told her he knew a bit of Chinese, she then started speaking to him fluently in Chinese, he could follow her for a bit but got lost at some points, she taught him a few new words, she wasn't perfect at Chinese but she was really good, the way they were talking made him feel as thought he knew her

After a while it was time for him to leave, he said goodbye and when he was about to leap out of the window Marinette stopped him

"Wait!" He turned to look at her and she smiled softly at him "I had a good time, you're free to come again kitty" He didn't know what it was but he suddenly felt warm, he made a little reverence and winked at her

"I won't make you wait princess" He flew out and as Chat Noir jumped through the rooftops that night he felt full of life


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for all of you who are following this story, yesterday I was out all day and couldn't upload the chapter, I hope you enjoy this one_

 _I also want to thank Miou-and-Zoe, and everyone who has reviewed (I am looking at you Haphazard203)_

 _If you want to find me on tumblr to ask any question you can find me as rockintime or as polkadotedladybug_

* * *

During lunch a few days later Adrien and Nino were talking when Alya hurried to them

"Guys have you seen Marinette?" Nino and Adrien shared looks with each other before answering

"We haven't seen her since the classroom, is something wrong?" Alya lowered her head a bit

"She looked a bit sad a moment ago, I left to take a call but when I came back Marinette looked depressed, she left before I could get to her" Alya's words worried Adrien "I'll try calling her, please tell me if you see her" With those words Alya left, cell phone in hand

Adrien and Nino looked around the school grounds for Marinette but didn't have luck, Adrien was worried but as the bell rang and he walked inside the classroom he suppressed a sigh of relief, Marinette was sitting there speaking with Alya as if nothing happened, Aly was bombarding her with questions but Marinette dismissed them

"I went home because my mother called me, I didn't tell you because I had to leave quickly" Alya didn't seem to buy it but finally decided to let Marinette be for now

Adrien though was a different story, even after the teacher had started the class he was a bit lost, Marinette's smile didn't reach her eyes he noticed, but it didn't look like she was going to speak soon

oOo

He had just finished with fencing, he was about to go home when the thought of Marinette came to his mind, she didn't look too happy the rest of the day, that smile couldn't fool him, he recognized it, it was the same one he had learned to use for photoshoots

Plagg looked up at him from his jacket "You know, worrying about her won't get you anywhere"

Adrien looked down at him surprised, was it too obvious he was worried? Plagg rolled his eyes

"Come on, let's go see the princess"

Adrien smiled and nodded, he called his driver so he wouldn't come and went to transform somewhere safe

oOo

Marinette was sitting in her room just lazily trying to do her homework when she heard a familiar knock on her window, she got up and opened it, after the boy came in she closed the window quickly so the cold autumn air wouldn't come in, the boy smirked at her

"Good day princess, how are you?" She rolled her eyes, after the first time he had met her as Chat Noir during the Evillustrator attack she didn't seem to fuzz over him, too bad, it had been entertaining

"I'm doing fine kitty" She laughed and sat down, he followed ignoring the warm feeling he got when he heard the nickname, he glanced at her undone homework resting on her bed, she sighed

"Well, fine aside from physics giving me a hard time" He smirked

"Oh? Not your favorite subject?" When she shook her head he jumped up to take her book "Well! Luckily it is mine!" At that moment he looked at her like he was her savior

"Chat! Please help me!" She said with her hands on his shoulders, Adrien again dismissed the tingling feeling he got with her so close

"Humm I am not so sure princess" He said joking and taking a thoughtful pose, Marinette placed the back of her hand on her forehead sighing dramatically

"Oh please Chat Noir! Your highness, I am not worthy! Help a peasant with her homework" She exaggerated a reverence and he laughed

"Ok Ok, you have convinced me young dame, I shall help you" They sat down as Chat explained what she had to do, she payed

attention and they worked for a while, Marinette soon smiled as she now understood it

"Oh Chat thank you!" She hugged him and his eyes widened a bit, he hoped the warmth on his cheeks went unnoticed, when she let go he smirked

"Anything for you princess, I am glad I was helpful" After she smiled he remembered why he was there on the first place "But, is there something wrong? You haven't seemed too happy today" her eyes widened a bit in surprise and he hoped she wouldn't dismiss it, she fidgeted for a moment and sighed

"There is this girl in my school that doesn't really like me at all, I don't usually pay attention to what she says, I don't really care about what she thinks but" _but_ he wondered, he was sure she was talking about Chloe and Chloe could be really mean "But today she reminded me of something I already knew"

"What did she say?" He asked the concern surely present on his face but she was avoiding his stare

"She reminded me that I am just old plain Marinette and that's all that I am not more interesting than that" she looked up at him finally and was surprised at what she saw, he was mad, he had a scowl and his eyes were full of concern

" _'Just old plain Marinette?'_ That's what you think? Well you're wrong princess" The words were coming out of his mouth without a thought, he wanted her to know, can't she see she's so much more? "You are creative! Brave, smart, altruistic and a lot of other things but never plain princess" her eyes widened "You are so interesting I couldn't help wanting to be your friend, whoever told you you weren't knows nothing" He smiled

Marinette was surprised, slowly a smile and a blush started to creep on her face and she went to hug him laughing "Thanks kitty"

He hugged her back smiling softly "Any time princess"

When Marinette let go she smiled "Well then, for helping me with my homework what do you say I bring some tiramisu from downstairs?"

"Yes please!" He said excitedly, when Marinette came back he practically devoured the dessert and jokingly said things like _'This is a trap isn't it? You want me to get fat so I can't leave'_ Marinette just laughed as they kept joking and talking happily, Adrien felt something different when Marinette looked at him, but he just dismissed it every time, he left after a while, he told her he had to patrol and she smiled waving goodbye at him

He had found his lady later on, she seemed to be on a good mood and that made him even happier as they flew through Paris, their conversation was even lighter than usual, and his pulse was quicker, at some point though he got lost in her dark silky hair, but the thought he had when he went to touch it was different from normal, it made him stop quickly in surprise, he only came to his senses when his lady called him, he shook his head returning to his normal self and forgetting that incident, or at least trying to, in the back of his mind the thoughts echoed _'Is my lady's hair as soft and silky as my princess?"_

oOo

Days came and went and Adrien kept visiting Marinette, they had become really close even if he had to stop himself from saying anything that could reveal his identity, he was still having trouble speaking to her as Adrien though, to be friends felt like what was meant to be, but soon he was confused about the thoughts that roamed his mind

 _Is ladybug Ok? Will I ever get to meet her as a civilian? What can I say to Marinette to engage on a comfortable conversation as Adrien? I need to be careful so I don't end up calling her princess at school, Why are Ladybug's eyes so sparkly? She seems to be on a good mood lately, Nathanael likes Marinette right? Marinette never mentioned it though..._

Plagg had even started mentioning Marinette normally, even if the comments he made mostly had to do with Adrien asking her for snacks with cheese on them

He felt comfortable with ladybug, her presence made him happy, he wanted to know more about her, he craved to be on her life, he trusted her blindly and she trusted him all the same, they would always catch each other

Marinette made him feel excited, not the kind of excitement you get from jumping from the Eiffel tower, it was something else, something he couldn't decipher, he wanted to tell her everything and to hear her out when she needed it, he wanted to be her strength and to talk to her as Adrien as well

His feelings were so different from when he had started talking to her, there were times when he had to cover up that he was nervous, he had thought about bringing her flowers more than once and he-

Marinette was smiling brightly at Alya as they walked to the classroom and that's when everything he had been trying to ignore fell on him like a ton of bricks

He started to think that while Ladybug's eyes were awfully bright Marinette's eyes had all the stars in them


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks to everyone for being patient and all your support, it makes me glad you all enjoy so much this story_

 _This story will have a translation to french, Miou-and-Zoe offered to make this so that more people could read this story and I am excited for it, the translation will be available in a while, probably some weeks so for any french readers please be patient :)_

 _You can find me as rockintime or polkadotedladybug on tumblr!_

* * *

After class had started Adrien just stared at the board without really looking at it, Mme was explaining something that he knew would be on the next exam but he wasn't even paying attention to which class they were having right now, he felt hypersensitive, he could hear Marinette writing behind him, he could sense her movements as she was looking for something in her pencil case and he unconsciously held his breath when he saw her in his peripheral vision as she took her eraser from the floor where it had fallen near him.

 _Oh no._

Discord reigned his mind as he felt confused, bewildered, thrown off, befuddled, discombobulated! He only noticed he had been tapping the desk with his pencil until Nino stopped him looking fed up.

He didn't understand how it had happened, a few weeks ago he couldn't maintain a conversation with her, a few weeks ago he hadn't noticed how many freckles laid gently across her nose and cheeks, a few weeks ago he had no idea her eyes could be so warm, blue and full of life, _just yesterday he knew he loved Ladybug_

He still loved Ladybug, which gave him more reason to feel terrified and confused at the moment when he had discovered he had started liking Marinette, on his mind there existed no reasonable excuse that he could use to tell himself he didn't like Marinette, in fact when he tried he could only find more reasons as to how it was obvious for him to like her

And yet both girls invaded his mind, but as he pondered he found so many similarities between them, Ladybug cared so much about protecting everyone in the city, Marinette was always ready to help whoever might need her, Ladybug was so brave and confident, Marinette who he thought was so shy could actually adopt such a self-assured and strong willed personality, Ladybug was a quick thinker and inventive, Marinette was original and imaginative

And as the bell rang and his notebook was spread out in front of him completely blank he could only hear Marinette's steps make their way to the door

oOo

As they made their way to the arts classroom Nino kept asking him why he looked so lost and why he didn't write anything on his notebook last class (Since he let Adrien borrow his notes) and Adrien found only excuses his friend didn't believe

After they sat down the teacher started explaining

"We are going to have a project, for this work you will be paired, I will make the pairs so don't get too excited" A few groans were heard around the classroom " _And_ I hope you will cooperate, you will be painting something that represents freedom for both of you, don't only paint a pair of wings please be more original"

She started naming people, Adrien had been paired with Kim and as he was about to go sit with him so they could discuss the project the teacher listed another pair of names, as she did his eyes widened a bit, Marinette stood up and started walking to the back of the classroom, she smiled at Nathanael after sitting down with him and the redhead blushed

As Adrien sat down besides Kim he couldn't help being bothered by the fact that Marinette sounded so cheerful when speaking to Nathanael when she usually had trouble speaking in front of Adrien Agreste

oOo

Chat Noir was on his patrol with Ladybug, she turned to look back at him with a smile that made his heart flutter and a smirk grow on his face as they raced through the tops of the buildings, after a while they sat merely observing Paris

"Remember the akuma attack last week?" His lady suddenly inquired, she looked a bit worried and he contemplates the question and nods, she continued "That girl who started freeing animals didn't even give us much trouble, it kind of worries me"

Chat thought for a moment, it had been really easy indeed, she didn't even use her lucky charm, but he hadn't thought much about it "Maybe she didn't hold that much anger? I think the angrier they are the more powerful" She pondered and nodded

"Maybe you are right, I hope you are" She smiled at him, he had been seeing more smiles from her recently and he had to hold content sighs back, he didn't know what had gotten to her but it sure made him happy, she wasn't stopping his flirting either, she just laughed at it but not with malice and she only rolled her eyes with his cat-puns, the ghost of a smile covering her lips as she did so.

After enjoying the view for a bit longer her earrings began to beep, she waved goodbye at him with a smile and threw her yo-yo soon disappearing from his sight, he freed his transformation when he still had tree paws and Plagg came out glancing at him with confusion "You are still on top of a building, why did you transform?" the kwami asked with suspicion, Adrien shrugged and got a piece of cheese for him, Plagg took it gladly

"I want to prove a theory so I need to be Chat Noir for a bit longer" Adrien responded and the little kwami eyed him mischievously

"Does it have to do with a certain princess who likes fashion and smells like bakery?" Adrien avoided his gaze and mumbled

"Just eat your cheese"

oOo

When he got to her window he was relieved to see the light turned on, he knocked softly on the glass and soon both the window and curtain opened inviting him inside to the warmth and the smell of vanilla, after closing the window he spotted the girl already sitting on a chair with her sketchbook in hand, she turned to him smiling and once again his heart fluttered as he blushed, his revelation from this morning fresh on his mind as he tried to cover it up with a smirk sitting on his usual place beside her _, both Ladybug and Marinette are going to be the end of me._

"What brings you here kitty?" She asked

Oh you know, not much, only you confusing me and making me wonder who I like the most between you and Ladybug when I thought I loved her but I am no longer sure,

Chat thought but ended up smiling "I was worried you were probably missing me princess, I didn't want you too feel the terrible lack of Chat Noir for much longer" He easily joked and she rolled her eyes with a faint smile that he felt he recognized somewhere else

"Yes, sure kitty, I say _you_ missed me a lot didn't you?" she smirked and they began a playful banter

Her parents went out and wouldn't be back until the next morning, she asked him if he was in a hurry, when he shook his head she smiled and asked him to stay watch a movie with her, he gladly complied, they spent the night joking and playing, thankfully it was a Friday so it didn't matter if they stayed up too late, they had a pillow fight and he found out Marinette was more agile than he thought, soon it turned to a tickle fight as he cornered her and she laughed loudly as his fingers worked around her torso and he laughed at her tickling with no mercy, he felt _alive_

By the end of the night he had even learned to bake cookies without burning them, they were tired and watching TV while sitting on the couch, Chat was thinking about everything that happened that day, he had learned so much about the girl sitting besides him and he couldn't be happier, he felt so comfortable with Marinette, he used to feel free when he transformed in Chat Noir because he wasn't being judged, he could be himself, but he realized that now it wasn't enough, he felt free when he was with Marinette

He felt a weight on his shoulder and he peeked to see the girl sleeping soundly with her head resting on him, a deep smile appeared on his lips and as he took her on his arms and tucked her in bed he realized that princesses outrank ladies.


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry for updating so late, I am glad you guys all liked the last chapter! The idea of that last paragraph was given to me by a comment on the reviews and I couldn't get it out of my mind_

 _Also, if you see any grammatical errors please tell me! I usually write this in a rush so I usually mess up, once the story is finished I will go back to correct those errors._

 _Thank you all for your comments, follows and favorites!_

* * *

Adrien Agreste knew he had fallen for Marinette Dupain-Cheng

For a bit the thought had tortured him, he wasn't even sure anymore of what his feelings were for Ladybug after he had gotten so close to Marinette. He thought a reason for this may be that while he couldn't get too personal with Ladybug, he could ask questions to Marinette and she would normally have no trouble answering them; she would tease him, she would give him exasperated sighs when he used cat-puns, she would smile when he knocked on her window.

He chuckled as he remembered how once she had gotten him a hot chocolate and suddenly took it from him before he could even sip it because she was scared it would be poisonous for him as it was for a cat; after observing amused he told her he had chocolate before as Chat Noir and nothing happened, she gave him his mug back and he definitely saw that blush in her face.

After much thought, and Plagg mumbling how obvious it was, Adrien admitted to himself he liked Marinette more than he did Ladybug.

As he thought about it he started grinning like a fool and laughing. He wondered why it had took him so long to notice her before, of course he admired how she had stood up for herself against Chloe before; he remembered the bowler hat and that time with Nino's movie, Marinette wasn't shy, she was really confident and brave. But he couldn't see that much when he was Adrien, and oh no, that just won't do.

If Chat could become so close to Marinette Adrien would become closer.

He probably said that out loud because Plagg looked at him funny

The next day Nino had found him staring at Marinette frequently and after a bit he decided to comment on it, Adrien blushed and spluttered as Nino laughed; after some teasing Adrien finally admitted to his best friend that yes, he liked his Chinese-French blue eyed classmate.

"You are crushing on Marinette!" Nino almost yelled and Adrien glared at him looking around to make sure no one heard him

"Can you please say that louder? I think _she_ didn't hear you!" Adrien hissed at Nino who smirked and used his own hands as a megaphone

" _YOU ARE CRUSHING ON-"_ Nino started yelling and Adrien hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands, blushing profusely while a pair of students walked, staring weirdly at them, Nino started laughing again as Adrien was now covering his own face with one hand

After that little scene Nino said he was just teasing him and that he wouldn't say anything about his crush, while Adrien was relieved to hear that he knew he was now in for a lot of embarrassment provided to him by his best friend.

And he was proved right, way too soon.

Once classes were finished Nino and him were supposed to go to the arcade together. What Adrien wasn't expecting was for Nino to have invited Alya and Marinette to go with them too, and as the girls chatted happily with each other he found himself glaring at Nino and covering it up once either of the girls looked at him.

Why was he mad about it? Oh well, Nino wasn't too subtle when he asked if the girls wanted to come; He had commented on how much Adrien wanted them (Or mostly Marinette) to come, making Marinette flush like a traffic light. But while Adrien was not happy with _how_ his best friend had got them to come, he was also, kind of excited with the thought of hanging out with Marinette like this.

It was a tuesday and the arcade wasn't really packed, they took advantage of it and started going through the games, after a while Alya excitedly dragged them to a dance dance revolution machine

"Guys! We have to play this game!" She quickly stood on it and looked back at Nino "Come on! Play with me"

Nino shook his head "No thanks I just had two drinks"

Alya rolled her eyes at him and placed her hands on her trunk moving her elbows up and down while resembling the sound of a chicken and that did it, Nino got in the machine starting it up and looking at her in defiance

As they started dancing Adrien and Marinette cheered for their respective best friends, but at the end Alya won receiving a happy hug from Marinette while Nino received a pat on the back, before he could ask for the revenge though Alya pushed Marinette to the game

"Ok! Now it is your turn!" Alya grinned pushing Adrien to the other side of the game

"E-eh?!" Marinette turned to look at her quickly and Alya giggled

"You are pretty good at this game! Adrien won't stand a chance!" She said an Adrien smiled standing up on the platform

"Let's see if that is true" He said winking at Marinette "I'd like to see it myself"

Marinette flushed and stood on the platform, they chose a song and the game started, Nino and Alya cheered as they danced, Marinette had good reflexes and seemed to grow more confident, he tried following with a big smile plastered on his face

Clumsy, shy, dear Marinette was even better than Alya made him think she was, while Marinette kept saying she wouldn't be able to do this on a dance floor she had aced the game and he laughed as he tried to keep up. By the end he won, but only for a bit and he smiled at her. When she reciprocated with a smile of her own his stomach fluttered and his smile grew.

After a while Nino dared Alya to beat him in a game and they both disappeared from his and Marinette's sight. Adrien was sure Nino did that on purpose but wasn't complaining, he smiled at Marinette and offered his hand at her, she looked at him surprised and he blushed rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly

"I don't want to lose you too, more people are coming in" He excused himself and she nodded taking his hand in hers with a smile, his heart thumped tightening his hold on her, she wasn't as shy now and it felt nice.

He was about to ask her what she wanted to play next when he noticed she was looking somewhere else, he found her observing a black cat plush on the prizes stand and blushed a bit at the thought of her liking it, though it probably didn't have anything to do with him _Chat Noir._ After making a mental note on how many tickets it costed he tugged on her hand and made her follow him quickly

"A-Adrien? Where are we going?" She asked trailing behind him and he turned back to look at her with a grin

"I am going to get you that stuffed animal!"

oOo

After a few games together and a few others by himself Adrien placed the tickets on the prizes stand smirking and asking for the cat, he walked to Marinette who was sitting on a bench and with the plush in front of his face he inched towards her

" _Mew_ " Marinette looked at him startled for a moment as if he had noticed something but soon started laughing at him as he placed the cat into her hands and sat laughing besides her

"Thank you..." She said gazing at the plush with an adorable smile and blush covering her face and Adrien shifted his eyes to the floor smiling softly

"I am glad you like it"

oOo

After a while it was late and they had to go home, as they were about to say goodbye a scream was heard and Adrien tensed

 _No no no, not now, not here_

"SO YOU THINK YOUR SON CAN BEAT MINE?!" A woman using a jersey with the number 10 on it was standing in a bunch of soccer balls and kicking them at full speed, knocking out anyone who came in contact with one of them

 _Curse my bad luck!_


	7. Chapter 7

_I am so sorry that this chapter is so short and that I couldn't update before, I have no different excuse from usual, my excuse is school, and finals._

* * *

Soccer mom knocked out with footballs everyone who got on her way, after a few moments though the knocked out people started turning into ten year olds.

Adrien took Marinette's hand and hurried to guide his friends to somewhere safe with some difficulty, mostly because of Alya who kept insisting on how Ladybug and Chat Noir would soon get there and she wanted to film it; Adrien and Marinette had to drag her out of there. They ran inside an hotel dodging footballs on their way and blocked the door from the inside.

Once inside the building Marinette panicked

"I can't find my bag! I think I left it in the arcade" Marinette exclaimed looking genuinely worried

"It's fine Marinette, Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here soon, I am sure you will find your bag just fine after the battle" Nino spoke reassuringly with a hand on her shoulder, Adrien noticed Marinette laugh nervously but dismissed it soon as he tried to find an excuse to get out of there so Chat Noir could actually appear.

 _The bag, that's it_

"I'll go for it!" chimed Adrien hurrying to a door in the back that they didn't block "Someone could call Marinette to make sure she is Ok since she was near the attack, we don't want her parents to worry" He added quickly after the looks he received from his friends after his exclaim

"You don't have to worry! I will get it mysel-" Marinette started but was interrupted by Adrien

"No, _I_ will go for it, you guys stay here, safe, Ok?" He emphasized the safe looking directly at Marinette "I'll be right back"

With that Adrien disappeared through the doors without hearing his friend's complaints, he kept turning back to make sure they didn't follow him and scurried off to the arcade, careful to not be noticed by the akuma, once he was somewhere safe he got Plagg out

"We need to be quick, Plagg, transform me!"

Plagg got inside the ring and Adrien engaged in the transformation, he ran off outside as Chat Noir, quickly meeting soccer mom

"I am sorry to inform you madame that I know of no babysitter who would take care of so many kids at once" The villain turned to glare at him

"I don't like the kids playing with cats, anti-hygienic" Soccer mom tried to knock him out but he dodged all of her attacks

"Oh come on _mew_ , maybe you should _pawse_ for a _mewment_ , my lady isn't even here ye-" Chat didn't finish his phrase, there, standing a few meters away from him avoiding children was Marinette trying to walk into the arcade, eyes wide open he kept dodging attacks with his baton.

 _What is she doing here?! I told her to stay safe, where are Nino and Alya?_

Soccer mom noticed Marinette from the corner of her eye, her attention shifted to the bluenette and Chat panicked hurrying to Marinette

"Princess, get away!"

Fortunately he got to her before she was hit and dragged her inside the arcade quickly.

She sighed in relief, but when she turned to look at him he had a scowl on his face

"What were you doing?" He inquired missing the chance of adding a pun to his comment; had she left the building after he told her not to because of her bag? What did she have in there that was so important she couldn't wait for him to get it? He told her to stay safe, and coming here alone with an akuma rampaging wasn't his idea of safe, it reminded him of when he met her walking late at night by herself. Marinette flinched a bit at his reproaching tone.

"Well, I wanted to come for my bag" He was about to say something but stopped "And to make sure my friend was Ok, he came for it a bit ago and didn't come back"

So she was worried about him, he stopped his train of thought that was going dangerously close to the "Marinette-is-cute zone" and back to the problem at hand.

He had to get her somewhere safe, but that would prove difficult without Ladybug here yet, he sighed and dragged a hand through his head looking at her. He got closer to her and pulled her into his arms lifting her so he could carry her bridal style, she yelped, quickly placing her hands around his neck for suport and he grinned.

"We'll find your friend later, for now there's an akuma to beat" He said now running up the stairs to the rooftop

Marinette looked back at where they stood before "Wait! My bag is-"

"There is no time princess! she will find us soo-" Chat Noir was interrupted by a football flying by his side just barely not hitting him

"Don't you want to play Kitty?! I am sure my little boy would enjoy having a new partner!" Soccer mom yelled as he came in from a window and he turned on his heel directly to the entrance "Oh come on, your friend can come too!"

With these words more foot balls were thrown at them, Chat tried to avoid them wishing his partner was here already; but of course, with his bad luck he wasn't able to stop one from knocking Marinette out, It hit her head and she went limp.

"Marinette!" He yelled for her but she didn't respond, he left her on a bench and turned to glare at soccer mom, she tried to throw a kick at him but he stopped her leg with his baton turning the fight around.

"Come on _mew pawlease_ , I do not think hurting my princess was a good idea" He scoffed with a grin and the akuma glared, as she kept throwing soccer balls he threw them back with his baton as if it was a baseball bat

"Wrong game kitty" The akuma snarled as a bigger ball appeared in front of her ready to hit him, where was ladybug?!

A rock hit the akuma's head, soccer mom turned to look at what had hit her and Chat's eyes widened as he saw a little girl with dark pig tails in front of him, with her left arm full of rocks and the right one ready to throw another one.

"Don't touch my kitty!" The little girl yelled with a higher pitch to her voice from what he was accustomed to as she glared at the akuma.

Little, dear, sweet, Marinette stood bravely, trying to defend him as she encountered herself looking like a ten year old.


	8. Chapter 8

_I am really really sorry! I was too busy to update, please don't be mad? I hope you enjoy this chapter! Little Marinette is awfully cute don't you think? Let's see what our hero thinks_

 _All of your comments make me really happy!  
_

* * *

Chat stared at the tiny girl in front of him with his eyes wide open and gaping like a fish, he could not process what was happening but he had to soon if he didn't want to be turned into a little kid with a defenseless Marinette running for her life.

Dear, sweet, precious, _little_ Marinette was trying to protect him trowing rocks at a grown up furious akuma and she was so adorable he didn't know what to do with himself.

 _Oh yeah, this is not safe._

Quickly returning to his senses he threw a kick to the akuma successfully throwing her out of balance while she was distracted and making a dash for Marinette who looked ready to throw another rock, he grabbed her on his arms and flew away while the akuma was busy, the rocks falling to the ground as she placed her arms around his neck in order to not fall

"Kitty! She will get away!" Little Marinette yelled to get his attention as they were getting away from the akuma "The mean woman is going to bully everyone else!"

"Don't worry princess, I will not let her get away, you though have to stay here" He stopped on his tracks on a rooftop then

 _I can't just leave her here! She is ten! I...I can't leave her alone!_

Where _were_ Alya and Nino though? Had they stayed on the building he had left them? For now that was his best bet and he had to hurry up. When he got to the building he hurried in and was relieved as he saw them fumbling with their cell phones, presumably trying to call him and Marinette.

"Are you purrhaps searching for this beauty?" His mouth moved on it's own and he only chuckled when he noticed Marinette pouting at him and blushing, he placed her on the floor as Alya and Nino rushed to them confused.

"Marinette! You got hit! But, where's Adrien? Did he turn into a little kid too? Did you find him?"

Their questions startled Marinette who looked really confused, after shorts explanations Chat left, Marinette seemed really comfortable with Alya anyways. He hurried to find the akuma and looked around, there was still no sign of Ladybug and he was getting worried for her partner, she was never _this_ late! Did something happen to her? Was she actually turned into a kid too?

"You weren't planning on ditching the game were you?" The akuma snarled from his back and he turned around, baton prepared "That would not be a good idea, though I don't think you will make it to the finals"

The battle ensued, he thought for sure the wristlet she wore was where the akuma settled, he found an opening and went for it, soon he had gotten the wristlet and the akuma was free while the villain was passed out.

But what was he going to do now? Ladybug wasn't there and she wouldn't answer his calls.

He decided that for now he would have to take care of the akuma until he found ladybug, he found a jar with a lid and trapped the black butterfly on it, he didn't know what else to do, until ladybug appeared the akuma wouldn't be purified, now the problem was...

All those kids causing chaos on the street.

oOo

The police officers got there soon and started calling family, friends and etc. of the people who were affected so they would be taken care of; they took soccer mom too so there wouldn't be any problem until they could purify the butterfly.

The transformation fell when he got back to the arcade and Plagg kept nagging him about how tired he was, Adrien finally got him to hide and keep quiet when he found Marinette's bag, he took it and ran back to the building where his friends were still hiding, the doors weren't blocked anymore and he found them speaking with Marinette while crouching since she was now so short, they turned to look at him in relief.

"Adrien! Are you Ok? Dude you don't look like a ten year old, why don't you look like a ten year old?" Nino inquired walking to him and resting his hand on the blond's shoulder, Adrien shrugged.

"I got stuck somewhere and couldn't get out, luckily I wasn't hit!" He then turned to Marinette and Alya faking surprise "What happened here though? Wasn't it safe enough in here?" Marinette was looking at him innocently and Alya shook her head

"Marinette was worried about you so she went out to look for you, she wasn't careful enough and got hit, we couldn't contact her or you and were about to get out when Chat Noir came out of nowhere with her on his arms! He left warning us to not come out and wait it out, he was sure you would be Ok, but I really thought you would be a little kid next time we saw you" Alya said taking hold of Marinette's hand, Adrien got closer and crouched in front of her.

"Thank you Marinette, but I told you to be safe" The little girl blinked a bit but smiled

"Don't worry! My knight saved me! And I am really strong by myself!" She said animatedly and made a gesture with her arms showing off her muscles, the tree teens were looking at her in amusement, she was having no trouble speaking and looked so adorable.

"I am sure you are!" He beamed at her and she grinned wide "What is this about a knight?"

"That is what Chat Noir calls himself, because I am a princess" She said looking very pleased, she would usually have rolled her eyes at the nickname, but Marinette had the mind of a ten year old right now and had her own knight to battle for her

Adrien gave her the bag and Alya the black cat plush Marinette had asked her to take care of earlier, little Marinette was taking all of the teenagers attention, she was even bubblier and cute, Adrien just wanted to spoil her

After a while Alya offered to take Marinette to her home by herself, she would explain what happened to her parents, they said goodbye and everyone went their own way.

Adrien was worried about Marinette though, she was endearing, but she couldn't stay like that, he went patrolling trying to contact ladybug that day and was growing really worried, where could she be? He really _really_ hoped his lady was Ok.

That night Adrien couldn't sleep. 

* * *

_I am sorry I haven't answered reviews lately, I have been reading them all and they make me SO happy seriously! And I am so happy that you're so many right now I can't even get time to answer all of them! I am sorry and thank you SO MUCH! Seriously, you get me excited_


	9. Chapter 9

_Guys, you are so wonderful thank you so much, seriously I am so happy you are all enjoying this and so sorry I can't answer the reviews lately, you are all so awesome and thanks for the comments on my grammar, once this story is finished I will correct all those errors and any more to come because I usually write in a hurry._

 _We will soon see more glimpses of Adrien's transition from Ladybug to Marinette, he of course still is terribly fond of Ladybug but his feelings are growing for Marinette._

 _Also, do you remember their pairs for the art project? I don't think Chat or Adrien will be too happy about it once they remember it!_

* * *

Adrien was absolutely tired, after 2 AM he gave up sleep for video games; even though he was too engrossed on getting Link out of the water temple he somehow managed to notice the light seeping through the window and glared, was that the sun?

He groaned loudly and glanced at his clock, it was 7 AM already, freaking **7** in the **morning** , how did he manage to not fall asleep on the spot?

Well he was regretting it, he was regretting it so much and the fact that it was Saturday did little to appease him, he had a photoshoot at eleven, he had an extra fencing class later and-

 _Marinette_

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, Marinette was a little kid! And he never found Ladybug last night, what was he going to do?!

He couldn't purify the akuma, it rested on his desk on a jar and unless Ladybug purified it and used lucky charm the damages in the city will stay the same, everyone who was hit will stay as a kid and the akumatized person will still be a problem.

Where _was_ Ladybug? There had never been a time when she didn't show up, something probably happened to her! He covered his face with his hands, maybe she was hit? Maybe the only reason she didn't show up was because she was a little kid too and couldn't remember or something, he hoped it was that and that she was fine.

He felt so guilty, he could at least had made a better job out of protecting Marinette, if he had taken her to safety she would be fine right now! Ugh he was so dumb.

He got up and stared tiredly at Plagg who was fast asleep, well, he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, might as well start doing something

"Plagg" He whispered trying to wake him up, the little kwami turned murmuring something, eyes still closed "Plagg come on, I have to see"

Plagg opened one eye grumbling "She's Ok, go to sleep" His voice slurred and he yawned turning around the other way, he already knew what Adrien wanted "She's surely sleeping anywaaaay, 's too early..." He dozed off and Adrien sighed exasperated

"Camembert, the best you'll find, I'll bring you lots" The boy said and smiled triumphantly as he watched his kwami's ears twitch slowly giving in.

"It better be" The little cat kwami grumbled getting up as his charge grinned

"Claws out!"

oOo

Chat Noir flew until he placed foot on top of the bakery, now, normally he would just have to knock and Marinette would open the door to the terrace for him, but right now she was acting like a kid, maybe too short to reach from her bed and also probably asleep.

He sighed because he had done it again, he should have thought this better but he really wanted to see if she was Ok.

After a few moments of pacing back and forth he finally decided to peek inside from the window next to her staircase; he climbed down and stared through the window. There was a difference between this sight and the one from the last time he came, last time Marinette's chair wasn't all the way at the back certainly used to reach a shelf, that white mannequin she used for her designs had been wearing a soft pink delicate hat instead of been painted on with markers, he really hoped those were washable.

Everything else looked relatively the same, as he thought Marinette was probably an organized child, there were only a few things out of place, besides of course the mannequin, he was sure she would be mad about it when she was back to her age.

He tried to look up at her bed but saw nothing, it didn't look like there was someone in the room so he quietly slipped open the window with one of his claws, he slipped inside and closed the window back so the winter air from the outside wouldn't come in. The last thing he wanted was for his princess to get sick.

He climbed a bit on the staircase just to make sure there wasn't anyone and the sight that welcomed him was the one of her empty unmade bed, he went back down and scratched his head, it was way too early wasn't it? But then again, Marinette was a kid and as far as he knew some kids that age would wake up earlier since they were so full of energy, he couldn't understand it but it seemed that was the case.

He went to the trap door and kneeled down to hear, he chuckled in amusement as he heard Marinette playing happily to Super Smash Bros and a male laugh that belonged to her father who he assumed was playing with her.

So yes, Marinette was already awake and her father was surely up already because he had to open the bakery; he relaxed on the floor, well she seemed to be perfectly fine of course, he wanted to see her anyways and decided to wait until she came up to her room. Standing up he went to take her chair back to it's place in front of her desk and take some books back to their shelves.

Maybe he could try to clean the mannequin.

oOo

Ok, that was no washable marker she used in here.

His hands had been going back and forth from the sink to the mannequin as he tried to get rid of the color, he didn't want to damage it but he wan't doing much either, he heaved a sigh leaving the rag he had been using back in the sink, while he did he stumbled into the mark of the mannequin, he had seen some of those before, he knew were they got them from; something clicked on his mind and he smiled, if Marinette saw the mannequin like this she would surely be sad, but he would avoid that, he detransformed behind the screen so he wouldn't risk being found out and took his cellphone, Nathalie's contact appearing on the dial.

 _"Adrien? Aren't you in your room?"_ Her tone was one of confusion but that didn't faze him

"No, I went out early because I wanted to buy something and couldn't do it after the photoshoot, which I am dressed for already" He added to reassure her "Anyways, could you place an order for me?"

oOo

It was 9:30 when the trapdoor opened and hearing little steps reassured Chat so he didn't hide, he just sat down on the chaise besides the black cat plush he had gotten for her as a pair of pig tails and their owner appeared in front of him; the little kid formed a little 'o' with her mouth and smiled brightly at him.

"Kitty!" She yelled loudly and he panicked moving his arms around trying to tell her to be quieter

"What was that Marinette?" Her mother asked from downstairs and Marinette covered her mouth with her hands

"Ah, I was talking about my plush!"She said cheerfully and her mother smiled back at her returning to the kitchen.

When Marinette closed the door he sighed in relief but turned back at her when she giggled

"So a plush huh?" He said holding the plush on his hands "Well you have good taste princess" he stated smugly as if he didn't know where she got it from, her cheeks puffed out and reached for it.

"My friend gave it to me" She raised her nose up high holding the kitty on a way she deemed appropriate because he of course wasn't holding it right "He actually won it for me because he is really cool" when she finished her sentence she stuck her tongue out to him implying he wasn't as cool as her friend and expecting him to come with a remark.

His stomach actually fluttered and he smirked "Oh really?" He stood up placing his fists on his hips "Cooler than a superhero?"

To his amazement Marinette nodded proudly "Much cooler!" Her words only made him giddier, she actually thought Adrien was cool and that raised his ego quite a bit "He is a model so he is also more handsome" Ok, now he was blushing.

"Oh really?" He went on, fishing for compliments from the girl and she followed him thinking she had the upper-hand.

At some point she stopped though, she felt she had been saying too many things about Adrien and Chat Noir could feel bad, she certainly didn't want that, she had been saying all those things just to bother him slightly "But well, you are more awesome, after all you are a knight" She stated while hugging her plush with a smile "A really silly but amazing knight!" She smiled up at him.

His heart sped up at the sight of that adorable child and a lot more because she was Marinette, complimenting him and not only from one side but both sides of him, all he wanted to do was coo at the little kid and dress her up on fluffy princess dresses not once forgetting to call himself her knight.

He stayed until it was time for his shoot, his performance that day was perfect, the photographer was excited and actually finished earlier than expected because Adrien's smile was so bright.


	10. Chapter 10

_I am so sorry_

 _I am a terrible person_

 _Please don't hate me?_

 _Seriously so sorry for leaving you all hanging like that! I have no excuses, please forgive me dears._

 _Tikki was lost._

* * *

When Soccer mom came out and Marinette's bag was left at the arcade Tikki had tried to get back to her, it was hard and she wasn't victorious, once things had calmed down though Marinette's bag was no where to be found anymore, thus Tikki found herself trying to get to the Dupain-Cheng bakery without being seen.

It should have been easy, since she's so small she can hide anywhere. But it wasn't.

If we said she wasn't successful then probably she was caught by a little kid, taken to a home she didn't know and treated like a fairy. Probably she was caught by a scientist who would be recognized by catching this surprising especimen. Probably she got caught by Hawk Moth himself and...

Or perhaps our little spotted kwami simply had some trouble getting there but finally found herself on Marinette's room.

The small kwami got to the room to be greeted with the sight of a small beautiful child playing with that small Chat Noir doll she had made once and saying mew every once in a while to imitate the leather clad hero who was her partner.

The child glanced up and smiled brightly at the sight of the red kwami "Tikki!" She stated loudly and happily; thought that wouldn't last for long, because dear sweet Marinette then was finally reminded that her little daring companion hadn't been with her since the akuma attack, she had been lost. Marinette's expression started changing to one of deep sadness and her shiny eyes started filling with tears as he hiccupped a bit feeling guilty and dropped the doll running to the kwami "Tikki!"

Tikki smiled at Marinette as she took her with maybe too much force and tried to shush her a bit so her parents didn't her "It's Ok Marinette, I'm Ok" She smiled trying to reassure the kid who looked at her and sniffed a bit to contain any more tears from falling

oOo

When Adrien was finally free he want out again as Chat Noir, Plagg complaining all the way because he transformed so much since he started visiting Marinette. The roofs of Paris didn't show any signs of a polka-doted superhero and he was getting paranoid

What if she had been caught by Hawk Moth? What if she had an accident and was terribly hurt in the hospital? What if Hawk Moth had taken her miraculous and kwami? What if she had fallen terribly ill and had only a couple of months left to live?

 _"You're really crazy"_ Was what Plagg told him inside his mind and he was completely right, Adrien was losing it, he knew he was probably exaggerating a bit but he couldn't help it, Ladybug always appeared at one moment or another and he hadn't seen her at all this time.

His eyes were open wide as he observed carefully, there, near the Dupain-Cheng bakery he could see red spandex with black polkadots getting closer and closer and he practically flew to the figure.

he felt relief washing over him as he go closer, though he was so busy worrying about her well being and that she was not in a hospital that he didn't realize how short she was until he embraced her tightly. Once he realized he looked down at the girl that stared up at him with big blue eyes and his first reaction was to place his hand on her cheeks to squish them. Little Ladybug tried to get her face away from his hands but couldn't really and he was having so much fun.

"Aw Buginette, you're so cute!" He said with a Cheshire cat-like smirk as she tried to get away; after a few moments though he looked at her seriously, holding her up at arms length "Where were you? What happened? Do you know just how worried I was?" He asked her with a light frown on his face, he couldn't get mad, but he wanted her to know just how worried he had seriously been.

Little Ladybug looked at him with a little sad pout "sorry..." She said and he could feel himself melt at how cute she was, he even felt _guilty_ for gods sake! Little girls would be the death of him "My kwami and I got separated the other day and I couldn't transform so I got turned into a kid"

He looked at the little girl and smiled softly at her "I'm just glad you're Ok" He said softly and got her to the floor offering a hand to her "Want to return to normal now?"

She looked up at him and smiled nodding her head as she took his hand and they left to find Soccer mom

oOo

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Finally the city returned to normal and Soccer mom did too, Ladybug was greeted with the miraculous cure and now smiled as her normal taller self, she offered Chat a fist bump and he returned it smiling

"Well done my lady!" He said and she grinned, her miraculous started beeping and he looked at her "This is not the end, we'll have to talk later about all of this, you had me on a difficult spot you know?" He raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes smiling

"We'll see about that kitty, for now shouldn't you return home too?" She said already getting ready to go away with her yoyo and he thought for a moment

"Actually I have another friend who messed something up while she was a ten year old and I'd like to surprise her" He said not thinking it would be too important but ladybug stopped her yoyo, she usually left as soon as possible but she seemed to know something, he dismissed it though and continued not thinking it would matter if he told her about it

"You know that girl, Marinette? The one you told me to help from the Evillustrator? She's a designer, a really good one, but it seems she is actually quite a messy kid" He said smiling fondly, she noticed the look and blushed a bit when her earrings started beeping again

"Well, good luck then Chat, I'll see you later!" She said tossing her yoyo to another building and leaving before her miraculous ran out, _Maybe sooner than you think_ , she thought, she was smiling all the way as she tried to get back home before he could.

When she released her transformation it was on her bed back in her room and Tikki went down with her for some cookies resting on her desk for her "You've become really soft with Chat" She said knowingly and Marinette looked back at her, confusion upon her face

"No, I haven't" she rolled her eyes sitting down on her desk chair looking around the messy room and sighing as Tikki giggled

"Yes you are! When Chat started meeting you as Marinette you were so worried and now you let him in like it's nothing" Tikki said and looked at the walls "You didn't even let him see Adrien's photos though, I can even imagine some time passing and even your parents knowing you hang out with Chat Noir in your room"

"As if Tikki, that would be terrible!" Marinette said trying to defend herself and stood up to clean up the mess in her room a bit, mostly to cover up the blush that was spreading to her face

Tikkin laughed "Imagine this, Chat noir coming so frequently that one day you're not home he messages you saying _'your parents and I are having dinner, are you going to accompany us?_ '" Tikki laughed an Marinette shushed her laughing too

The first time Chat had visited her after that time he walked her home he had knocked from her balcony and she had hurried to hide her photos of Adrien, because if that cat found out he would never let her forget it, he started coming more and she grew more accustomed slowly, soon she wasn't that worried about him finding out her identity, she wasn't scared about him looking at her eyes and saying _"Oh dear! You're Ladybug!",_ because when the sat down on her room eating cookies and having hot chocolate on her chaise or her roof at midnight it was just them, as Chat Noir and Marinette, no one else.

She bit her lip and a knock came from her roof, she climbed up and opened the window up to her balcony to find Chat Noir holding a white mannequin and grinning softly at her, what took her breath was the fact that his smile wasn't his playful one or the others he keeps giving Ladybug, this one was reserved for Marinette and she didn't even know if he was aware about it, he looked so genuine, the soft curve of his lips growing without him noticing when she came into view.

* * *

 _Also, I am evil, you wanted a reveal right? I am sorry but little ladybug wouldn't say a thing :)_


	11. Chapter 11

He sat on his spot in her room with the already familiar cup of hot cocoa, Marinette always gave that cup to him, he secretly loved the message on it _"This is my cup of Tea"_ It said; and even though he didn't usually drink tea on it the message made him comfortable, made him feel like he belonged, more so because Marinette's cup was the same, except the message was on the opposite side of the cup. She sat beside him on another pillow, still stealing glances at the mannequin he gave her, he had insisted on her keeping it, even when she told him she didn't need it, after all, the miraculous cure had made the marker disappear from the old one; but he still wanted her to have it, with two mannequins she could organize herself better, was what he said.

"You know? I really like that cat of yours" He said pointing to the one he won for her at the arcade, not that she knew that of course "Not only is it clawsolutely purrfect, it also reminds me of the shower of compliments you gave me yesterday"

He smirked cheekily and she gave him that look, that one where he says something dumb and she rolls her eyes before looking back at him again but this time in confusion, slowly a look of realization and embarrassment covered her face as he grinned wide and she blushed furiously "Because of course no model can be better than Chat Noir, am I right princess? After all i am your knight"

She blushed and glanced at the floor "I also called you silly..." She muttered and he chuckled happy, he was of course not going to let her live this down, he bit his lip softly and stood up to take the plush on his hands, he turned back to look at her with it

"Mew" He said making a gesture withe the fluffy paws of the plush and she giggled shaking her head at him

"Really silly" She said smiling at him big "But well, I like you that way" She said shrugging and though he knew she meant nothing by it he couldn't help but hope

He looked back outside, he wasn't there for long but he still had other things to do, his black ears fell a bit and he looked back at her

"It looks like my time to go has come princess" He smiled and walked back to her, his hand went for hers and brought her fingers to his lips, her breath hitched for a second but she didn't try to stop him and he looked back at her, unconsciously playing with the tips of his fingers on her hand and smiling "I'll se you later"

She tried to hide a blush and smiled back at him "Just don't get lost kitty, I don't want to start pasting papers for a lost cat around Paris" She joked but he only smirked

"So you would search for me?" He asked and she rolled her eyes once again throwing a pillow at him, he laughed and opened the window turning back to wink at her for a second before leaving for the rooftops

oOo

After Chat left, Marinette had a little panic attack and was now pacing around her room biting her nails as Tikki followed her around trying to calm her down

"It can't be right Tikki, I must be delusional, yep, that's it, I will go to sleep, wake up tomorrow and everything will be exactly the same" She murmured still pacing and showing no signals of actually calming down soon, Tikki looked at her confused

"I don't understand Marinette! What is the problem?" She asked floating in front of her face effectively making the bluenette stop on her tracks and look at her worried

"Everything could be wrong! If this is not just my imagination playing cruel games to me then everything would be wrong!" She said eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed, she started biting her lip, almost making it bleed "Because if this isn't just a cruel joke then I could be ruining a wonderful friendship, Chat would probably start avoiding me, how would I start acting with Adrien? No! I wouldn't even be able to look at him in the eye...Or at Chat either! I would start acting weird as Ladybug and then an Akuma would win and the miraculous would be taken away from us and then Chat would know I am Ladybug and Hawk Moth would be all powerful and who knows what he could do with that power, probably world domination and then everyone would die and it would be my fault"

Marinette was pacing back and forth hysterically again and Tikki just stared at her gaping concerned "Marinette! Calm down! Why would that even happen?!" She asked and Marinette glanced up at her worriedly

"I think I like Chat Noir"

oOo

Adrien was just staring up at the ceiling that morning, for the first time in a while he had a day all to himself, no photoshoots, no classes, no fencing, no basketball, no piano, nothing. A lazy grin slowly made its way to his lips and he breathed deeply as if it was the first take of clean air he had in a long time, he stood up from his bed stretching with a small smile on his face; he went to his closet looking for some decent clothes to wear and went to his bathroom whistling a tune happily while Plagg was still asleep.

He went to take a bath and sighed relaxed, today he could just hang out with Marinette as much as he wanted, his plan was actually visiting her as Adrien, he wanted her to speak more with him as his civilian self, this could be a good chance for that, if she accepted hanging out with her he knew places he could take her and they wouldn't have to keep quiet for her parents if they stayed in her room.

A goofy smile still on his lips he closed his eyes already coming out from the bathroom with ideas of what to do with her, how they could get closer as Adrien and Marinette too, not only Chat. He wanted her to know all sides of him, he was both, the thought of her knowing her secret identity crossed his mind for a second but he shook his head immediately dismissing the idea, that would be way too dangerous.

He poked Plagg a bit trying to wake him up, there were many things to do.

oOo

He was about to come inside the bakery when he saw movement on the window above, the window to Marinette's room to be exact, he could hardly hear Marinette's voice but it was there, she was talking to someone, he tilted his head curiously and glanced back inside the bakery, both her parents were there attending clients so it had to be someone else; Adrien looked down to Plagg who shrugged, he walked down the street looking for somewhere where he could transform without being noticed, he didn't want to interrupt if Marinette was with someone, it was probably Alya but he still wanted to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything important. Chat Noir leaped up to watch from the nearest rooftop inside Marinette's window.

What was an "innocent" curious look in his eyes turned suddenly in something else he wouldn't quite know what it was, slowly but steadily his eyebrows narrowed deeper while his ears twitched and tail moved from side to side, if Plagg could see him he would say how ridiculous he looks with that shade of red on his cheeks, but Adrien couldn't help it, because in front of him Nathanael sat in front of Marinnete speaking nervously but with a smile and blush on his cheeks while Marinette smiled and spoke cheerfully with him, Chat wanted Nathanael to miss that smile, to look somewhere else, he was being selfish and he couldn't care less; One of the things that bothered him the most was that Nathanael was sitting on HIS spot, like he belonged there, like Chat had never sat down there laughing with Marinette and he found himself wanting Nathanael to know it was his spot, his place and how many times he had sat there.

So yes, curiosity killed the cat, but did satisfaction actually brought it back?


	12. Chapter 12

Nathanael came to the bakery that morning to start his art project with Marinette.

The thought stuck to Adrien's head and didn't leave, he had forgotten about it before, about that moment Marinette an Nathanael were paired together in class, he forgot because he had been busy finding out what he felt for Marinette, but now that it was in front of him, now that he was watching them hanging out so happily in her room, he didn't like it. Not one bit.

It was infuriating, it was heartbreaking, she looked so comfortable right there, at that moment with him, but he was sure that if it had been Adrien hanging out with her in that room she would be stuttering, she would be shy, she wouldn't feel comfortable, the thought got him sulking right on the spot.

He knew Marinette and Nathanael were only working on their project and that was everything, but still, the irrational -and strongest at the moment- part of him was searching for all those little things. When he noticed the cup of hot chocolate Nathanael had wasn't the one Chat normally used he felt like showing off, he was after all the only person she gave that cup to it seemed.

His heart skipped a beat at times as he watched them interact and he decided he had enough, even if inside he was yelling at himself to not do anything stupid the irrational part of him spoke louder and he acted on instinct, because he was Chat Noir, because he was closer to Marinette, because it didn't matter if he didn't get to do those things when he was Adrien, he did when he was Chat, and for now that was enough.

He jumped to the top of the balcony, making enough noise for them to know he was up there.

oOo

Nathanael looked up as they hear a loud thump on the ceiling and Marinette looked at the table nervously.

 _Not right now please..._

The sound of footsteps panicked her, she should have told Chat she would be busy today! If he knocked on the window she didn't know what she was going to tell Nathanael. He was about to say something when Marinette stood up quickly running up to the trap door.

"Cats! They always come up here, they make so much noise, I don't want them breaking anything so just wait right here!" She said without letting him say anything before she disappeared through the trap door, there in front of her stood Chat Noir with his shit-eating grin, but...It didn't look as natural.

"Hello princess, nice of you to come out for me" He said bowing in front of her "But you don't need to catch a cold now, let's go in!" He said smiling and turning her around on her heel.

"Chat no! We can't" She said hurriedly stopping before they could be seen through the window, he furrowed his eyebrows looking as innocent as possible

"And why not princess?" He asked with a pout

"Because I have a friend visiting!" She whispered strongly

"And?" Was all he said waiting for her reaction, she looked at him as though he had gone crazy

"And no one can just, know that I've been hanging out with Chat Noir!" She said, he knew that, but he oh so wanted to just go inside right then, he sighed.

"Ok Ok, then I guess I'll wait here for a while" He said firmly sitting down on the chair she kept outside and she looked at him like he had grown two heads

"Weren't you just saying how I would get a cold? You can't just stay here! We'll be working for a while! We have a project to do!" She said trying to get him to leave but he wouldn't budge

"It's fine, I can distract myself on anything and this is warmer than it looks* He said smirking "Though it warms even more my heart knowing that my princess worries so much about me" He almost purred and she immediately blushed, now remembering the other reason why she was so worried about hanging out with him right now

"Marinette? Is something wrong?" Nathanael's came from her room and it seemed to get closer to the trap door, she squealed and decided to leave Chat to do whatever, she stumbled inside before Nathanael could do anything and laughed nervously

"Ah, no! Don't worry, just a cat that didn't want to leave" She smiled and Nathanael looked at her with his head tilted to the side but smiling back accepting the excuse and they went back to working while Chat listened in on their conversation, crossing his arms and huffing.

oOo  
Time passed and Marinette was able to leave Chat some of his favorite treats from the bakery and warm chocolate while Nathanael was busy with something else, inside Chat was not only happy for the snacks, he was also proud

 _See this Nathanael? This is MY special mug, has Marinette ever let you use it? Has she shown you the dress she is working on? Do you know her secret pleasure for c-_

His thoughts were interrupted by the happy voices of the two teenagers working downstairs

"That is a wonderful idea Nathanael! It will work! It's perfect" Marinette said, who know what exactly she referred to but Chat's ears dropped at the praise, he was being silly and dumb, he shouldn't be mad about something like that for heck's sake! He could practically see Nathanael's blush at Marinette's words from the ceiling.

"T-thanks! It was nothing, j-just, I just thought it would fit, and is a great contrast" He said and Chat heard Marinette make a little approval noise as they shifted around continuing their project

oOo  
After not too long, Marinette and Nathanael were done with their project, Chat stood up from his place and stretched, he watched from afar as Marinette told Nathanael goodbye and the boy went on his way before opening the hatch and falling on Marinette's bed and waited there for a moment before Marinette came back to her room.

"Kitty?" She asked after closing the door to her room and he groaned dramatically

"I was so lonely..." He sighed from her bed and she rolled her eyes climbing up the stairs to poke his stomach

"Well, that was your own fault kitty, I told you it would be long" She said and he turned to look at her groaning.

"Well you two spent a lot of time just joking and laughing" He said looking the other way and trying not to be too obvious, she tilted her head at him

"Well he is my friend, should I just have stayed quiet the whole time?" She rolled her eyes asking him, he huffed

"Well no, it's just that..." He went quiet there for a second and she looked at him confused, he looked directly at her and gulped, he wanted to show her something that no one else could, show her he had much more to do for her, maybe that was one of the thing that got him more jealous about Nathanael, Nathanael shared an interest for making art with Marinette. "Let me take you outside" He finally blurted and she looked at him surprised and wondering what he meant, before she could ask though, he opened the window out again and dragged her to the balcony, once she was up he took her on his arms bridal style and started flying though buildings, in her surprise, not expecting it at all she held onto him tightly.


End file.
